Aspiring for a leadership role

For the first time in Libya´s history, 89 women candidates running for office in the Libyan National Assembly were chosen to participate in nationwide workshops organized by UNDP and supported by the Interim Government. The workshops are organized as part of UNDP’s support to civic education programme funded by the Government of Norway, peace building fund and UNDP for the amount of USD 3,402,860. The workshops focused on media and campaign management and were carefully designed to provide the soon to be politicians with the technical know-how and confidence to run for office. The speakers were also carefully chosen and have first-hand experience, as most of them were candidates themselves in neighbouring Tunisia. The workshops and lectures were held in three different cities, each representing the main regions of Libya, the East, West and South. The kick off city was Benghazi, then Tripoli and finally ended in Sabha with outstanding attendance and success.

Achievements

Nationwide project to create political and electoral awareness amongst university students

26 young civic education instructors completed the BRIDGE training out of 120

“These strong and brave women have now an equal chance in the next elections” said Dima Al Khatib, UNDP Deputy Country Director in Libya. “They will help in building the new Libya now that they have acquired the necessary skills to effectively make their mark on the Libyan political scene” she added. The tools acquired from the trainings will empower all participants to effectively manage their political campaign from defining campaign rules and techniques, campaign planning and strategies to handling media, public speaking and interviews; all of which are fundamental tools for enhancing their chances in the National Assembly. The support provided by UNDP and its partners during this historic elections process will encourage and empower the Libyan population to play an active role in the decision making process.